Is Venom playable in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

In a recent interview with IGN, Todd McFarlane suggested the idea that Venom could be a playable character in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, so break down the possibility of that happening.

The wait is almost over! Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is just around the corner and as we get closer to its release on October 20, more details about Insomniac’s next big project are being unveiled.

Just recently, PlayStation released a story trailer for the game and also announced a Spider-Man-themed console. But even with all the recent reveals, Todd McFarlane might have given us the most exciting idea about the game yet. Could Venom be a playable character in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

Todd McFarlane, along with David Michelinie, created Venom back in 1988 and introduced him to the world in The Amazing Spider-Man #300. Ever since that moment, the Lethal Protector became a beloved character that has gone on to appear in multiple comic books, movies, cartoons, and even video games.

So it doesn’t come as a surprise that IGN asked Todd what are his thoughts on his creation appearing in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con. While Todd talked about the things that he liked about the character’s design (like the fact that he looks like a huge monster), the most interesting detail came near the end when Todd said: “I’d play that”.

https://twitter.com/EvanFilarca/status/1683871448581181447?t=Lp2B_PPc3H6e9ferrwtA3A&s=31

Venom has been a playable character before

This wouldn’t be the first time Venom would be a playable character in a video game. Aside from many fighting games (Like Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects or Marvel: Ultimate Alliance), the best example of that happening was in Ultimate Spider-Man. The game (which was inspired by the comics of the same name) allowed players to wreak havoc as Spider-Man’s dark opposite and it was beyond awesome.

Venom had to constantly feed on people to survive and he was able to jump at insane heights in order to traverse the city. Besides, Venom was much stronger than Spidey himself as he was able to pick and throw cars (even though that made him slower).

As a result, Ultimate Spider-Man became a critically acclaimed game that many fans still cherish to this very date. With that prior history of success, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Insomniac tried to replicate some of that magic by allowing players to destroy New York as Venom, only to later try to save it as Miles and Peter.

Venom could fight Kraven’s forces

In the story trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we got our first look at Venom in action. In it, we see how the Lethal Protector takes down a flying vehicle in Times Square before being surrounded by what appear to be Kraven’s henchmen. That could suggest that both of the game’s antagonists are fighting each other instead of teaming up like Doctor Octopus and Mr. Negative did in Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4. If that were the case, it would make sense if Insomniac allowed us to play throughout those confrontations between Venom and Kraven instead of just watching them take place.

Going back to Ultimate Spider-Man, there was a sequence in that game that also took place in Times Square. In it, Venom also had to fight another popular Spider-Man villain in the form of Electro. What was neat about that sequence is that it was playable instead of only being a cutscene. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that a similar sequence could take place in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PS5 (just with Kraven instead of Electro).

Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 had three playable characters

Finally, let’s remember that Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 had 3 playable characters in the form of Peter / Spidey, Mary Jane, and Miles Morales. Granted, M.J. and Miles played almost the same and their gameplay sequences were short and enclosed in small spaces. But even then they had slight differences unique to their characters.

If Insomniac wanted players the option to have three playable characters one more time in the game’s sequel, what better way to do it than by adding Venom to the roster that (by far) includes Miles and Peter?

That would provide a great twist on the story as it would allow us to live it from the villain’s perspective, and it would also generate a lot of gameplay variety (which is always welcome in any video game). Insomniac, you know it’s the right thing to do.